Reuse Activities Research Articles

Cost and Benefit Analysis of Different Buildings Through Reuse of Treated Greywater

The fact that the impacts of climate change cannot be prevented in the short term has increased the importance of climate change adaptation activities, and many national and international studies have been initiated in this regard. Greywater reuse (GWR) activities have become important methods recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for adaptation to climate change. This study selects GWR from 3 different real typologies, a hotel, a residential building, and an industrial plant planned in Izmir Province of Türkiye, to design greywater systems followed by cost-benefit analyses. The applicability of GWR systems in these typologies has been analyzed, and comparisons have been made. GWR systems at the project design stage eliminate the need for installation modifications. Therefore, it is concluded that new buildings should be designed to integrate these alternative water resource systems. Recovered water through the installation of GWR systems is recommended to be used as flushing water, and the excess for garden irrigation, car washing and cleaning. The payback periods were calculated as 12 years for the hotel and industrial plant and 6 years for the residential building. The water savings were calculated as 46% for the hotel, 44% for the residential building, and 29% for the industrial plant. The results put forth the feasibility of this alternative water resource.

Establishing an early indicator for data sharing and reuse

AbstractFunders, publishers, scholarly societies, universities, and other stakeholders need to be able to track the impact of programs and policies designed to advance data sharing and reuse. With the launch of the NIH data management and sharing policy in 2023, establishing a pre‐policy baseline of sharing and reuse activity is critical for the biological and biomedical community. Toward this goal, we tested the utility of mentions of research resources, databases, and repositories (RDRs) as a proxy measurement of data sharing and reuse. We captured and processed text from Methods sections of open access biological and biomedical research articles published in 2020 and 2021 and made available in PubMed Central. We used natural language processing to identify text strings to measure RDR mentions. In this article, we demonstrate our methodology, provide normalized baseline data sharing and reuse activity in this community, and highlight actions authors and publishers can take to encourage data sharing and reuse practices.

Red mud-based heterogeneous catalyst for hydrothermal resource-based degradation of norfloxacin in pharmaceutical wastewater by hydrogen peroxide

Red mud (RM) was used as a catalyst for the hydrothermal degradation of antibiotics in simulated pharmaceutical wastewater by H2O2 to produce formic acid. Formic acid could be adopted as hydrogen storage, conforming to carbon neutral strategy. When 10 mL norfloxacin (NOR) solution was used at 40 mg/L, the optimal reaction conditions were 0.02 g RM activated at 100 °C, 0.2 mL added H2O2, as well as the reaction time and temperature of 0.5 h and 90 °C, leading to NOR degradation rate of 69.26 % and a formic acid yield of 58.36 % (selectivity: 87.56 %). The RM catalyst presented good activity and stability in reuse. In this study, phase composition and structure of RM catalyst before and after the reaction were comprehensively characterized, and kinetic model was established. Moreover, the key intermediate pathway of NOR degradation was identified by LC-MS. Under the concept of “treating waste with waste”, these results suggested that wastewater-treatment technology of solid waste (Red Mud) was “Fenton-like” catalyst for resource-based degrading high-ecotoxicity antibiotic pollutants in pharmaceutical wastewater. This process could support environmental protection and green development of the pharmaceutical industry, together with hazardous waste-recycling treatment. In short, this research provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent engineering resource treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater.

THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER IN IMPLEMENTING THE 3R-BASED LEARNING MODEL TO THE CREATIVITY SKILLS OF CLASS 1 STUDENTS OF SANGGAR GUIDANCE KEPONG MALAYSIA

The purpose of this study was to determine the teacher's role in applying the 3R-based learning model to the creativity skills of grade 1 students at the Kepong Malaysia Guidance Studio. This research is a qualitative research. Namely research produces descriptive data in the form of written or spoken words from people whose behavior can be observed. The subject of this research is the principal and teacher. Data collection techniques in this study using observation techniques, interviews and documentation. The results of this study indicate that the role of a teacher in the learning process in the classroom is very important, especially in developing students' creative skills. So in developing creativity skills the teacher must be able to act as a model or example, as a motivator, guide, facilitator and educator, especially in developing the 3R learning model and 3R-based learning methods (reduce, reuse, recycle) Grade 1 students at the Kepong Guidance Center Malaysia in reuse activities namely using a notebook where the paper is still blank and not there for notes or scribbling. Donating clothes that are still usable, and used for rags or mops, in activities to reduce waste, namely using electricity as needed. Bring your own shopping bag to reduce plastic bag waste and process waste into new products. Recycling activities for example: Sorting waste into organic and inorganic waste. Recycle all items that can be recycled, for example plastic, paper, cardboard, glass and cans into pencil cases

Evaluating Immobilization of Hemoglobin onto Nanomesoporous MCM-41

Introduction: The development and applications of biological products have been seriously hindered by conventional immobilization for its low efficiency and high cost. The immobilization on solid supports for enzyme is an area of intense research due to their widespread use in synthetic chemistry and various industries. This paper highlights a great interest in the adsorption of an enzyme on the solid porous structured material and the design of new controlled delivery systems. The enzyme immobilized on solid supports and synthetic materials of the reaction mixture with strong mechanical force and easy separation serves as a high selective catalyst. Objective: A novel protein delivery system for hemoglobin (Hb) enzyme was proposed by incorporating the molecular molecules into the mesopores of well-ordered hexagonal nanometer MCM (Mobil Composition of Matters) - 41. The prepared adsorbents were successfully applied to the design and synthesis of new functionalization materials. Various parameters affecting adsorption process, such as adsorption time, adsorption isotherm, and the reusability of adsorbent, were investigated. Methods: The interaction between Hb and MCM-41 was investigated using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible solid diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and 77 K lowtemperature N2 adsorption-desorption study. Results: The experimental parameters were optimized, including the concentrations of Hb, the MCM-41 amount, and the interior surface of phenyl-functionalized Ph-MCM-41 materials. Under the optimized conditions, the biocatalytic performance was studied for Hb/MCM-41 and Hb/Ph-(MCM-41). The adsorption process of Hb by MCM-41 / Ph-(MCM-41) was in agreement with the quasi-two-order kinetic model. Process of Hb adsorption by MCM-41 / Ph-(MCM-41) belongs to an exothermic reaction, the reaction is not reversible at 4°C and it is a spontaneous reaction. The Freundlich model can better describe the adsorption of hemoglobin on MCM-41 / Ph-(MCM-41). During the desorption process of composite (MCM-41)-Hb/[Ph-(MCM-41)]-Hb in 0.1 mol/L NaOH solution, the desorption rate can reach above 70% at 2 min. At 60 min, the desorption reached equilibrium and the desorption rates were 99.58% and 91.36%, respectively. The reuse activity experimental results indicated that the immobilized enzyme exhibited high catalytic activity. Reusability stability studies suggested that the prepared composites retained their activity even after five recycling runs. This shows that the phenylation of MCM-41 reduced the "leakage" of enzyme in the main material. Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that Hb/MCM-41 and Hb/Ph-(MCM-41) are highly efficient potential nanobiocatalysts for the immobilization of enzymes onto mesoporous materials.

Improved methodology for the optimal mixing of renewable energy sources and application to a multi-use offshore platform

The increase of Renewable Energy (RE) production to fight the climate crisis is posing new technological and financial challenges, due to the availability and variability of RE Sources (RES). These challenges can be addressed by selecting the most suitable mix of RES to optimise power production, to assure grid resilience and to promote local energy use. To facilitate the selection of such combination, this paper presents an original methodology that allows to compare mixing scenarios with different RES, also in presence of batteries and backup system. It simultaneously optimises the energy surplus with respect to the eventual external electrical load and the missing energy with respect to the same electrical load. This method, which can cope with isolated or plugged-to-grid systems, is here applied to a novel case study, an oil&gas platform under decommissioning, located in the Adriatic Sea (Italy). The RE production from wind, wave and solar panels is supposed to support other activities for the platform reuse, such as aquaculture, monitoring and mineral deposition. In this case, solar energy is providing the greatest contribution to the optimal mix in terms of production, while wave energy assures the most relevant contribution in terms of continuity.

Study on the Evaluation Model of the Overall Post-Disaster Protection of the Linpan Settlement Landscape

Linpan is a typical rural settlement and cultural landscape in the western Sichuan Plain. The protection of Linpan has positive and significant impacts on the people, who live in the Linpan that is in the process of post-disaster reconstruction, to re-establish their sense of belonging. By studying the core elements and pattern characteristics of traditional Lipan, we established an evaluation model for Linpan landscape overall protection. The post-disaster reconstruction is disaster has already occurred, and the government has been involved in reuse activities. Reconstruction and sustainable recovery refer to measures that help restore the livelihoods, assets, and production levels of emergency-affected communities. The model was used to assess 12 post-disaster reconstructions of Linpan settlements with an aim to obtain an effective model of holistic protection. The AHP method understands the structure of the problem and real hindrances that managers the while solving it. Holistic protection is an approach that seeks to incorporate all the components designed to be precautionary in an organization. the aim of the article is the post-disaster reconstruction mode that fully retains the traditional Linpan pattern and elements that are more beneficial to the continuation of regional culture.

Therapeutic Options for COVID-19: Drug Repurposing of Serine Protease Inhibitor Against TMPRSS2

The SARS-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak is a serious global public health threat. Researchers around the world are conducting mass research to control this epidemic, starting from the discovery of vaccines, to new drugs that have specific activities as antivirals. Drug repurposing is a potential method of using drugs with known activity for reuse as COVID-19 therapy. This method has the advantage that it can reduce costs and also the duration in the development of potential drugs. The initial step in drug repurposing can be done computationally to determine the effectiveness and specificity of the drug on the target protein. Molecular docking analysis can see the specific interactions of potential compounds with target proteins by analyzing the energy of the bonds formed. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is a major target in the design and discovery of new drugs for the treatment of Covid-19 disease. In addition, transmembrane protein serine protease (TMPRSS2) from host cells has been shown to have an important role in the proteolytic cleavage of viral spike protein to the ACE2 receptor present in human cells. Based on screening studies, it is known that there are several drugs that have been established that have the potential to inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 transfection mechanism into host cells. 10 potential drug candidates used in this study namely Arbecacin, Bromhexine hydrochloride, Hydroxychloroquine, Camostat mesylate, Darunavir, Dequalinium, Fleroxacin, Lopinavir, Remdesivir, and Octopamine were used in molecular docking. Docking analysis revealed that there were three potential compounds, namely Bromhexine hydrochloride, Camostat mesylate and Octopamine with low binding affinity and inhibition constants. Based on the docking result, Camostat mesylate as the best candidate has a high specific binding affinity for the Ser441 and Asp435 residues present in the TMPRSS2 catalytic triad. Thus, these results reveal the mechanism of inhibition of TMPRSS2 by the known inhibitor Camostat mesylate in detail at the molecular level. Where, Camostat mesylate has a strong bond. This structural information could also be useful for designing and discovering new inhibitors of TMPRSS2, which may be useful for preventing the entry of SARS-CoV 2 into human cells.

Climate change adaptation exertions on the use of alternative water resources in Antalya, Türkiye

This study presents the payback periods of applying rainwater harvesting (RWH) and/or graywater reuse (GWR) systems as alternative water resources in different building typologies, such as a hospital, shopping mall, and hotel. These buildings are under operation in the Antalya Province of Türkiye, which is a large city having the densest tourism activities. The significance of the work performed through the cost-benefit analyses for the selected case studies basically lies on the water savings while serving to four of the sustainable development goals, namely, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. These efforts may be considered valuable urban-based solutions toward climate change effects. Thorough surveys on the existing selected typologies are conducted regarding their water consumption and probable water savings via reuse activities. As-built plumbing projects and plans are also investigated during the accomplishment of the comprehensive design work leading to the calculation of the total investment and operation costs of the rainwater harvesting and graywater reuse practices. The up-to-date prices are used in monetary terms, and euro currency is used to make the results more meaningful by the interested parties. All the selected typologies undergo cost-benefit analysis for both of the alternative water reuse systems. The payback periods are calculated as 6, 2, and 9 years for RWH and as 5, 6, and 9 years for GWR for the hospital, shopping mall, and the hotel, respectively. The water savings for RWH varied between 20% and 50% whereas for GWR, the range was 48%–99%. Both of the systems are performed for the shopping mall simultaneously, and the resulting payback period is found to be 5 years, and water saving reached 72%. Recent information on the amortization periods in the literature states that less than a decade demonstrates achievable and highly acceptable applications. As such, the design attempts in this study also correlated with these findings. However, feasibility of these practices may be increased by encouraging the public on their utility and benefit of water savings. As is the case in many of the developed countries, incentives like tax reductions and even exemptions may be realized to achieve better applicability of these alternative technologies.

Wastewater reclamation trends in Thailand.

Thailand constantly faces the problem of water scarcity, resulting from an imbalance between available water supply and increasing water demand for economic and community expansion, as well as climate change. To address this shortage, wastewater reclamation is being planned and implemented throughout the country, along with a 20-year, long-term integrated water resource management plan. Significant opportunities from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are dependent on the following factors: the establishment of a reuse water framework and a tangible target for treated wastewater set by local government authorities; widespread recognition and adaptation of wastewater reuse measures in the agriculture, industry, tourism and service sectors regarding climate change and water stress; and the implementation of joint investment water reuse projects between private and government agencies. However, wastewater reclamation faces some significant challenges, specifically: the limitations of regulation and monitoring for specific reuse purposes; a lack of public confidence in the water quality; the limited commercial development of reclaimed wastewater research; and difficulties in self-sustaining business models through adapting circular economy principles. This study aims to provide an overview of the wastewater reclamation, present research trends, currently operating WWTPs as well as opportunities and challenges to speed up water reuse activities in Thailand.

A novel bionanocomposite from doped lipase enzyme into magnetic graphene oxide-immobilized-cellulose for efficient removal of methylene blue and malachite green dyes

Immobilized biosorbents with enzymes have become a topic of interest in the fields of environmental and energy science owing to their numerous advantages such as ease of separation, non-toxicity, biocompatiblity, high activity, and regeneration capability for further reuse. In this respect, lipase fromCandida rugose was selected to covalently immobilize ontoa supporting matrix of magnetic graphene oxide-immobilized-cellulose via glutaraldehyde to produce a magnetic bionanocomposite (MGO@Cellulose@Lipase) for the effective removal of methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG) from water as two target cationic pollutants. The as-synthesized bionanocomposite was characterized by various techniques to confirm the structure composition, surface morphology, thermal and magnetic properties. The SEM and HR-TEM examinations referred to good homogeneity and surface porosity with 23.80–32.69 nm as the identified particle size. Based on the BET analysis, MGO@Cellulose@Lipase exhibited a mesoporous structure with a mean pore size 11.56 nm, while the VSM results showed that the prepared bionanocomposite particles exhibited a saturation magnetization value 14.78 emu/g. To evaluate the adsorption performance of the newly designed bionanocomposite, batch adsorption experiments was carried out, under the influence and impact of various experimental controlling parameters. The adsorption correlations of MB and MG pollutants were fitted to Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetics. The maximum computed adsorption capacity (qmax) for MB and MG were 66.79 and 51.87 mg/g, respectively. Thermodynamic studies confirmed the spontaneity and the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Moreover, excellent removal efficiency of MB and MG by MGO@Cellulose@Lipase after five consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles were confirmed as 97.43% and 87.60%, respectively. The validity and applicability of MGO@Cellulose@Lipase in removal of MB and MG pollutants from real water samples were characterized in the range 95.09–96.24% and 91.01–92.58%, respectively. Therefore, the outlined results prove that the MGO@Cellulose could be used as a promising carrier alternative for enzymes immobilization and the assembled MGO@Cellulose@Lipase bionanocomposite was also characterized as an innovative green material for solving the environmental dye pollution.

Friedlander condensation reaction catalysed by hafnium-based metal-organic framework

Heterogeneous catalysis using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is one of the attractive fields in recent years because MOFs offer tuneable properties and a broad range of active sites. In this context, synthesis and characterization of UiO-66(Hf)-(NHCOMe)2 (1) and its activated form (1′) are reported. The catalytic behavior of 1′ was investigated in the Friedlander condensation between 2-aminoacetophenone with acetylacetone under mild reaction conditions. The reaction between 2-aminoacetophenone and acetylacetone in the presence of 1′ afforded a quantitative yield of the desired product. On the other hand, the stability of 1′ was also examined by reusing the solid catalyst and characterizing the recovered solid catalyst by powder XRD, FESEM, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ATR-IR and BET methods. These combined data indicate that the solid catalyst undergoes a structural change by losing its catalytic activity in the first reuse and becomes deactivated. Although no significant changes were observed between the fresh and the recovered solid by powder XRD, FESEM, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ATR-IR, the significant decrease in BET surface area of the recovered solid suggests the possible pore blocking by the products.

Spatial clustering of waste reuse in a circular economy: A spatial autocorrelation analysis on locations of waste reuse in the Netherlands using global and local Moran’s I

In recent years, implementing a circular economy in cities has been considered by policy makers as a potential solution for achieving sustainability. Existing literature on circular cities is mainly focused on two perspectives: urban governance and urban metabolism. Both these perspectives, to some extent, miss an understanding of space. A spatial perspective is important because circular activities, such as the recycling, reuse, or storage of materials, require space and have a location. It is therefore useful to understand where circular activities are located, and how they are affected by their location and surrounding geography. This study therefore aims to understand the existing state of waste reuse activities in the Netherlands from a spatial perspective, by analyzing the degree, scale, and locations of spatial clusters of waste reuse. This was done by measuring the spatial autocorrelation of waste reuse locations using global and local Moran’s I, with waste reuse data from the national waste registry of the Netherlands. The analysis was done for 10 material types: minerals, plastic, wood and paper, fertilizer, food, machinery and electronics, metal, mixed construction materials, glass, and textile. It was found that all materials except for glass and textiles formed spatial clusters. By varying the grid cell sizes used for data aggregation, it was found that different materials had different “best fit” cell sizes where spatial clustering was the strongest. The best fit cell size is ∼7 km for materials associated with construction and agricultural industries, and ∼20–25 km for plastic and metals.The best fit cell sizes indicate the average distance of companies from each other within clusters, and suggest a suitable spatial resolution at which the material can be understood. Hotspot maps were also produced for each material to show where reuse activities are most spatially concentrated.

Glut: Affective Labor and the Burden of Abundance in Secondhand Economies

AbstractThis paper explores the interlinkages between the abundance of stuff moving through community‐based reuse organizations and the labor needed to manage this material. The glut of donations is due to the sheer volume of materials moving through a wasteful linear economic system, as well as the practice of donation dumping, where unusable used goods move through reuse economies, washing their previous owners free of guilt while entangling laborers in messy relationships with objects. I draw on theories of gendered, social reproductive labor to explore how the work of localized reuse, disproportionately borne by unpaid women, reproduces communities. Following calls for work that explores the social dimensions of circular economies, this research uses a qualitative approach that draws on two main methods: participant observation in reuse establishments and in‐depth interviews with reuse participants. This qualitative data provides a picture of reuse activities at a local scale and helps us understand the complex relationships formed and perpetuated through reuse. I find that the labor of volunteers is often unseen and undervalued and suggest that policies designed to address material surplus do so with these laborers in mind.

Performance of an electrocoagulation-flotation system in the treatment of domestic wastewater for urban reuse.

Domestic wastewater is an important alternative source of water in the face of a growing discrepancy between water availability and demand. The use of techniques that enable the urban reuse of treated sewage is essential to make cities more sustainable and resilient to water scarcity. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of an electrocoagulation-flotation system in the treatment of domestic wastewater for urban reuse. The study was performed using raw domestic wastewater samples. The electrocoagulation-flotation system was a cylindrical reactor with aluminum electrodes. The treatment conditions involved agitation at 262.5rpm, electrical current of 1.65A, electrolysis time of 25min, an initial pH of 6, and inter-electrode distance of 1cm. Overall, the electrocoagulation-flotation system was highly efficient for removal of apparent color (97.9%), chemical oxygen demand (82.9%), turbidity (95.8%), and orthophosphate phosphorous (> 98.2%). The electrocoagulation-flotation system had a consumption of electrical energy ranging from 9.5 to 13.3 kWhm-3, electrode mass from 294.7 to 557.0gm-3, and hydrochloric acid from 4.3 to 6.6 Lm-3. Sludge production in the system ranged from 1,125.7 to 1,835.7gm-3. Treated wastewater had a satisfactory quality for several urban reuse activities. The electrocoagulation-flotation system showed potential to be used for domestic wastewater treatment for urban reuse purposes.

Understanding the Socio-Demographic Profile of Waste Re-Users in a Suburban Setting in South Africa

Minimising waste through re-use thereof is the third tier of the waste minimisation hierarchy. Understanding the socio-demographic profile of waste re-users can assist in developing effective waste minimisation strategies and programmes. The objective of this paper was to understand the socio-demographic profile of waste re-users and determine whether this affected their re-use activities and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). This was a cross-sectional study conducted in three randomly selected suburbs in Gauteng, South Africa (n = 150). The data was retrieved using a questionnaire and multivariate analysis using a MAONVA test was conducted to assess which factors were associated with PEB and waste re-use. Women re-used plastic containers more than males and homeowners re-used glass jars more than tenants. The level of education had no significant bearing on specific re-use activities. Multivariate analysis results indicate that gender, age groups and type/status of homeownership played a significant role in statements that negatively influence waste re-use. Based on the results of this study, the best candidates for re-use activities and PEB in suburban communities in South Africa are women homeowners aged between 31 and 50 years.

Re-use of built environment - Strategic planning of sampling locations for the environmental impact assessment of former airports: The use-case of the former Hellenikon airport in Athens, Greece

The interaction between the built environment and its surrounding ecosystem needs to be taken into account when reuse activities are planned. The bilateral influence of building assets on their surroundings creates a continuity of impacts that exists even when the building stock is replaced; the surrounding environment projects part of the prior impact to the new constructions. A special case of built environment reuse regards the redevelopment of former airports. Such major redevelopment projects require comprehensive environmental impact assessment studies, which necessitate significant resources for the collection of the required documentation and measured data. This work regards a methodology of strategic planning of sampling locations for the assessment of the environmental impact and pollution levels at former airports. It is developed and applied in the use-case of the former Hellenikon airport in Athens, but it can be used to other large-area redevelopment cases.

Strategic Planning for Optimal Management of Different Types of Shale Gas Wastewater

This paper presents a mathematical programming approach for the strategic planning of managing wastewater generated by hydraulic fracturing operations in shale gas production. The proposed approach aims to achieve optimal selection of treatment, storage, and reuse activities. The approach also accounts for the variability of wastewater characteristics including the short-term flowback and transition water as well as the longer-term produced water. Because of the different compositions of the pollutants in the various types of wastewater, stream segregation is considered as an option. Furthermore, the model accounts for seasonal variabilities in freshwater availability. Economic and environmental objectives are considered. The economic objective function aims to determine the minimum total cost, which is composed of freshwater, treatment, storage, and transport costs. Credit is given for reused water. The environmental objective focuses on the reduction of freshwater requirements needed for the fracturing step. The proposed model determines trade-offs between cost and water consumption. A case study is presented, and the results show that it is possible to reduce up to 32.43% of freshwater consumed and to reuse up to 12.26% of the total wastewater from wells for fracturing needs.

The Innovative Approach to the Evaluation of the Social Responsible Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Understanding social responsibility importance pushes businesses to assume not only the behaviour of law-abidingness but also to carry the voluntary participation in the implementation of corporate contribution to the development of the community and the territory and establishing social partnership relations with the state. However, it should be noted that no aspects of social responsibility have been analysed appropriately. In particular, some authors pointed out that it is necessary to increase the number of studies related to the social responsibility perception of small and medium enterprises because these companies often lack a clear understanding and conscious recognition of socially responsible importance. Such a situation has motivated the authors to do research in this area. The food service sector was chosen for an investigation in Ukraine, Portugal, and Slovakia. The purpose of the paper is to find out the most important factors that influence the socially responsible perception of small and medium-sized enterprises among food service enterprises in Ukraine, Portugal, and Slovakia from the viewpoint of the economic pillar. Primary data were collected by conducting a questionnaire survey of Ukraine, Portuguese, and Slovak small and medium-sized enterprises working in the food sector. The research was conducted in selected cities of each country (Portugal: Lisbon, Porto, Faro; Slovakia: Bratislava, Nitra, Košice, and Ukraine: Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa). The city selection could be explained by the fact that the before-mentioned cities are the most visited ones in the selected countries. The study received 107 answers from Ukraine, 102 from Portugal, and 101 from Slovakia. Statistical analysis was performed by using IBM SPSS software and MS Excel. It could be concluded that the research describes that the company's financial situation has the most significant influence on its performance. In addition, enterprises with a short-term existence display better social responsibility performance. The results have several practical implications for organisations' policymakers. Results showed that adopting the socially responsible concept greatly depends on the company's financial situation. However, several socially responsible activities are neutral concerning the costs. The companies could focus on collaboration with other small and medium-sized enterprises, getting involved in community service activities and collaboration with nonprofit organisations, charity camps organisation, team building activities, organisation of masterclasses for children, resources donation, and reuse activities.

Effect of Dialyzer Reuse on the Activity of Paraoxonase 1 in Patients on Hemodialysis.

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of mortality in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis treatment. The oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein is a crucial step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is the protein responsible for most of the antioxidant activity of high-density lipoprotein, and its reduced levels are associated with more cardiovascular events in several populations. In hemodialysis patients, reduced PON1 activity has been shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Studies have shown that after the hemodialysis session, the activity of PON1 increases. The influence of dialyzer reuse on the activity of PON1 is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the effect of the reuse of two types of dialyzers (polynephron and polyethersulfone) on the PON1 activity of hemodialysis patients. A total of 30 patients on hemodialysis were included. Pre- and post-dialysis blood samples were collected to analyze the activity of PON1 in thefirst use of the dialyzer and in the hemodialysis session of its sixth reuse. This process was carried out with polynephron (bisphenol-free) and polyethersulfone dialyzers. We found that post-dialysis PON1 activity was significantly higher than pre-dialysis activity in both thefirst use and sixth reuse (P < 0.001). The practice of reusing the dialyzer did not interfere with the improvement of PON1 activity after the hemodialysis session.